Pediatric Psychiatry Inpatient Consultation Service

A: The Pediatric Psychiatry Inpatient Consultation Service at Children's Hospital Boston is a team of clinicians, including psychiatrists as well as psychologists, that are available to assist children and their families during a medical or surgical hospitalization.

Because hospitalization, illness and medical procedures can be stressful to patients and their families, we provide parent consultation and short term therapy for inpatient children and/or family members.

Our goals are to minimize stressful experiences, promote healthy coping and help children and their families return to their prior state of emotional wellbeing.

Q: Will insurance cover services provided by the Pediatric Psychiatry Inpatient Consultation Service?

A: Yes, many insurance plans will cover services provided by the Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation Service.

Some plans, however, arrange for their mental health services to be managed by a separate organization. In some of these situations, the Pediatric Psychiatry Inpatient Consultation Service providers are not in the mental health service network used by your plan, even though your plan covers the other medical care your child receives in the hospital.

If we are not in the mental health network for your insurance plan, or authorization is required for our services, we will try to obtain that authorization. If we have any problems, we will let you know.

If you have any questions about your child's mental health coverage, please do not hesitate to contact your insurance provider.

Q: Will I receive a bill?

A: You will receive a bill for our services in the event that your insurance plan does not cover all of the charges.

Like the other hospital physician fees, the charges for our services are separate from the bill for hospital admission. They are billed under the name of your child's staff psychiatrist or psychologist. Many insurance companies cover some or all of our charges.

Q: What if I have a financial concern?

A: We see children and their families regardless of the financial situation. If you have any questions regarding billing, please speak with your consultant.

Q: When are consultants available?

Consultants from the Pediatric Psychiatry Inpatient Consultation Service are available Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. After these hours, and during the weekends, if you would like to meet with a mental health provider, please ask a member of your medical team to contact the psychiatrist on-call.

Are outpatient follow-up services available?

Yes, outpatient follow-up services are available. Because the Pediatric Psychiatry Inpatient Consultation Service is for children in the hospital and/or their parents, once a child leaves the hospital the Medical Coping Team is available.

The Medical Coping Team at Children's is an outpatient service which specializes in helping children and their families cope with physical illness and stress. Staffed by psychiatrists, psychologists and fellows, the team provides comprehensive evaluations, individual, family and group therapy and consultation with schools and medical providers.

For more information on the Medical Coping Team, please call 617-355-6688.